Just like gum on the bottom of a shoe, the existence of per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in our environment is a sticky one. If you’re in the field of environmental testing, then you’re all too familiar with the threat these substances have on public health. While we have learned a lot about them over the years, there is still much more to understand. With the right detection methods, we can gather the information we need to empower us to make informed decisions on reducing the risks they impose.
Tags
Overcoming uncertainty in your PFAS analysis
Just like gum on the bottom of a shoe, the existence of per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in our environment is a sticky one. If you’re in the field of environmental testing, then you’re all too familiar with the threat these substances have on public health. While we have learned a lot about them over the years, there is still much more to understand. With the right detection methods, we can gather the information we need to empower us to make informed decisions on reducing the risks they impose.
Detecting low levels of drugs and their metabolites in hair and nail samples using LC-MS/MS
You probably have heard of testing blood and urine samples for the presence of drugs and their metabolites. But do you know about the benefits of hair and nail analysis? In a recent webinar, Tina Binz, Deputy Head of the Center for Forensic Hair Analysis, University of Zurich, discussed the benefits of developing comprehensive and sensitive LC-MS/MS for the detection of low-level drugs and metabolites in keratinized matrices.
An overview: LC-MS analysis of targeted protein degraders and their metabolites
Targeted protein degraders (TPD) are a relatively new therapeutic modality that opens the potential to target disease-causing proteins. These disease-causing proteins have been highly challenging for traditional small-molecule therapeutics to treat, making TPDs an exciting new therapeutic modality.
Guide decisions during cell line development with more information at the intact level
Monitoring product quality attributes (PQAs) throughout monoclonal antibody (mAb) development is vital to ensuring drug safety and efficacy. By adopting orthogonal analytical techniques and integrating new technologies that have the potential to provide more information, it is possible to improve product quality and manufacturing efficiency and make more informed decisions.
Maximize NPS analysis with accurate mass spectrometry
LC-MS/MS is a powerful analytical tool in forensic toxicology testing that can support a variety of testing regimes such as screening, confirmation and quantitative workflows. More specifically, analysis of NPS using LC-MS/MS provides many advantages, including the ability to reliably detect new drugs and their metabolites from a variety of biological matrices.
Unlock the benefits of nominal mass spectrometry for NPS analysis
The development of analytical methods for the detection and quantitation of drugs and metabolites in a range of biological matrices is a challenging process. Forensic toxicology labs need a reproducible and reliable methodology to ensure the robustness of the data and the quality of the results. They also need robust and sensitive instrumentation that can detect drugs at trace levels with high specificity, especially when it comes to novel psychoactive substances (NPS), which can be difficult to monitor and control.
What has the Echo® MS system done for the pharma industry? (And don’t just take our word for it!)
SCIEX was very proud to have an illustration of the Acoustic Ejection Mass Spectrometry (AEMS) technology that powers the Echo® MS system on the front cover of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry in January 2023. The associated article—Ultrahigh-Throughput Intact Protein Analysis with Acoustic Ejection Mass Spectrometry—was co-authored by scientists from SCIEX and Merck.
Short-chain PFAS compounds are on the rise- Craig’s PFAS Vodcast Cora Young
Read time: 2 minutes Short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are increasing in the Canadian Arctic environment, with the most rapid increases occurring post-2000, according to a recent study in Geophysical Research Letters (April 2020). For example,...
Identifying the unknown PFAS profile in firefighting foams/AFFF
According to a recent study from Harvard University, the US EPA, and NIEHS, traditional targeted analysis techniques poorly characterize the PFAS composition of contemporary PFAS-based firefighting foams, know as aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF). Using the EPA 533 PFAS drinking water method for the analyte list, the researchers found that targeted mass spectrometry methods accounted for <1% of organic fluorine content. This is important because it demonstrates that targeted analysis methods miss nearly all the PFAS compounds in modern AFFF mixtures, thus underestimating the risk to human health and the environment.
Stay informed on the latest novel psychoactive substances (NPS) flooding the US drug market
Each year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Testing and Research Laboratory publishes an Emerging Threat Report. The data contained in the report is updated quarterly and represents a snapshot of the drug evidence seized and analyzed by the DEA in the...
What is the difference between MRM3 vs MS/MS/MS (MS3)?
The MRM3 workflow and the MS3 scan are functionally the same QTRAP system scan, but used with different goals in mind. The main difference is how these scans are used in the whole MS workflow. With MS3 scans, you can use these in a data dependent mode for discovery...
Standard addition workflow – for quantification and calculating background levels
The method of standard addition is a quantitative analysis approach used in situations where matrix effects from complex samples contributes to the analytical signal. This makes it impossible to compare the analytical signal between sample and standard using a...
How do I define the experimental design (the metadata) for my SWATH acquisition study within the OneOmics suite? What are the requirement for replicates?
In quantitative Omics research, the goal is to understand which analytes (protein or metabolite) are perturbed between experimental conditions; therefore we carefully design our studies to explore these questions. The algorithms used within the Assembler application...
Quickly compare identification results from ProteinPilot software
When a ProteinPilot Software search is complete, a ProteinPilot report is generated that contains all the false discovery rate (FDR) analysis information. More information on using the large and small ProteinPilot reports can be found here When doing method...
The risky business of aflatoxins in milk
If you’re in the dairy or food testing business, you know the threat aflatoxins pose. Aflatoxins are a type of mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus parasiticus, aspergillus flavus , and rarely aspergillus nomius.1 These are likely the most extensively researched group of mycotoxins because of their adverse health effects.2 What’s more, they are widely found in a variety of crops, namely maize, tree nuts, and spices. Believed to be primarily caused by rising temperatures and humidity, these naturally occurring fungi grow on crops in the field, or during storage of feed and raw materials, where they can potentially produce toxins that enter the food chain.
Top questions about the exposome of PFAS revealed
According to the CDC, the exposome is “the measure of all the exposures of an individual in a lifetime and how those exposures relate to health.”
What’s in your citrus oil?
Craig Butt explains a non-targeted omics approach to characterizing and profiling compounds in citrus oil Read time: 4 minutes There is increasing interest among consumers in the benefits of natural products containing citrus beyond the traditionally known benefits of...
Top Five Trends for Biomedicine in 2021 for Bio Techniques
From multi-omics and big data to...
Breaking down the SCIEX Triple Quad™ 7500 LC-MS/MS System – QTRAP® Ready
Sensitivity and robustness carry different meanings in the world of mass spectrometry. Generally, sensitivity refers to an instrument’s ability to achieve lower limits of detection (LOD). Robustness, on the other hand, refers to an instrument’s ability to consistently...
The honey sting
As a consumer it’s hard for me not to feel inundated with claims that our food is “all-natural” or “chemical-free” or that we should buy certain “superfoods” for their health benefits. We read labels and trust that the product we are buying is what we are truly...
The top 5 questions to ask when investing in accurate mass technology for forensic toxicology workflows
Are you considering the purchase of a high-resolution accurate mass (HRAM) instrument for your forensic toxicology lab? To help ensure you invest in a solution that ideally meets your needs, ask yourself the following key questions. 1. How do I ensure my results...
A rising star in food allergen research: proteomics of shellfish allergen
It’s important to know what you’re eating, especially if you suffer from a food allergy.
About 220 million people worldwide live with a food allergy.1 These numbers, along with the complexity and severity of conditions, continue to rise. In America, there are about 32 million food allergy sufferers—5.6 million of those are children under the age of 18.2.2 That’s 1 out of every 13 children, or about 2 in every classroom. From a financial perspective, the cost of food allergy childcare for US families is up to $25 billion
Calling SCIEX Software Users: Windows 10 Support for all SCIEX Software
As a researcher in a busy lab, the software driving your work is critical to your success, and the timely transition of SCIEX applications to Windows 10 is no exception. In early 2020 Microsoft will be ending Windows 7 support, and we want you to know we are taking...
Detect the Signal, Not the Noise
Improving the specificity and selectivity of your assay Your LC-MS assay is only as good as its power to discern your target compound from everything else. Standards dissolved in clean solvents can make beautiful assays, but analytes in real-world samples can behave...
Software Licensing Comparison: Subscription or Perpetual?
Are you confused by software licensing? Do you want to know the difference between a subscription and a perpetual license? In this blog, we compare both options and explain the value of each choice for your laboratory. Years ago, the perpetual license model was the...
Make the Leap from GC to LC-MS/MS
Choosing the best technique for your analysis can be tough. Should you go with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)? That’s the key question. That’s why we’re here to help. The Limitations of...
Sensitivity, It’s at the Very Heart of Who We Are
Walk into any modern pharmaceutical company these days, and you’ll likely find at least one if not many, SCIEX LC-MS/MS instruments. Assays for the detection and quantitation of small molecule drugs, metabolites, biotherapeutics, biomarkers, and many other analytes...
Uncovering the Links Between Childhood Growth, Body Size, and a Woman’s Risk of Breast Cancer
Welcome to the second in a series of posts marking International Women’s Day, and our ongoing support of World Cancer Research Fund. This installment is a review by Dr. Jennifer Baker, of her work, that, with the help of a WCRF grant, is studying body size and its links to breast cancer. Dr. Baker, Lead Investigator at Denmark’s Frederiksberg Hospital, has a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Cornell University. Her research focuses on clinical epidemiology.
A Multi-Omics Database for Tomato Research and Breeding
Ace. Beefsteak. Big Boy. Kumato. Early Girl. Roma. Sun Gold. San Marzano. These are just a few of the thousands of varieties of tomato plants available today. And while all of these varieties may be very different with respect to crop yield, disease resistance,...
Pathway to Success: Young Metabolomics Researchers Named in The Analytical Scientist’s Power List
The direct correlation of the metabolome to the phenotype means metabolomics is one of the most sought-after approaches for the study of disease and wellness, yet the separation, detection, quantification, and unambiguous identification of a chemically diverse...